SIDE BY SIDE
Mental Health: Not Just a Seminar Topic Katherine Baylis
talk about in small groups. Rarely is it acknowledged that mental health spans beyond just depression and anxiety. The solution? We need to stop treating mental health like it’s a seminar topic and start recognizing it as a part of living in a broken world.
To Share, or Not
A Designated Topic If mental health were an easy thing to talk about, I wouldn’t be writing. That is what we do— write or read articles and books about the topics we find too uncomfortable to bring up in casual conversation. We justify the value in thinking through topics alone, in the quiet, where we can process without the filter of simply being in another person’s presence. But I think we have become just a little too individualized and private in that way. We’ll talk about mental health issues when it’s the designated topic of discussion, but when the discussion ends; so does the issues.
"When COVID lockdown began, I was raring to go, ready for the challenge of it all. By early fall, though, I had counted 20 to 30 new challenges and changes of that year so far; I also knew I was depressed. Enter Grace Groups. Two things stand out. First, the in-between times, knowing the countdown of days until I could once again interact with others in a welcoming environment. Second, the tremendous privilege of seeing, firsthand, how others who love God walk with him in the midst of challenges that make little if any sense."
It has been social media that has brought into light conversations that would otherwise be left undiscussed. People who feel alone in their individual struggles, mental health and otherwise, can find more community because they’re encouraged to speak openly and without shame. Somewhere in the last few years, however, the church fell behind a step, and it feels like we’re still trying to catch up. Mental health is frequently categorized as just another “hot topic” issue in the church that we bring up once or twice a year to
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I would say that among my generational peers, it’s widely acknowledged and accepted that people go through seasons when they struggle with mental health. When we bring up prayer requests in small group, no one balks at the occasional “I’ve been really anxious this week” or “I’m struggling with being content.” Yet, I’ve noticed that these topics rarely come up in our Scripture studies unless the discussion is aimed in that trajectory from the start. For me, my hesitation often stems from gauging whether the contribution will derail the discussion unnecessarily due to the exorbitant amount of background I’d need to give to make it relevant to the passage. Condensing a
"The Living Grace course material helps us to identify what types of events and relational dynamics can hinder us from experiencing the freedom in Christ the Spirit means for us to know and to exercise. “If the Spirit has made us free, we are free indeed.” (Thanks be to God!) As I move into [a new] health challenge [in recent days], I'm sensing that the Living Grace course, focused on helping us to personally process how God purposely and uniquely created us and desires to use our very weaknesses to praise and glorify him, is already helping me stay mentally [and] emotionally anchored in his rock-solid love and resources. I will NOT be shaken."
story into a few sentences has never been a strength of mine. But beyond that, I also hesitate because I don’t want to deal with people’s reactions, positive or negative. There’s a lot of pressure when choosing to share about mental health because of how aware we are of people’s reactions or even their own hurts by comparison. Telling someone you struggle with anxiety attacks feels more real than saying you struggle with anxiety, but when we make it “real” it can also feel like we’re exaggerating or being over-dramatic. I spent years wishing I had something “real” to put my finger on, to point to as the cause of the intangible brokenness I felt living with the grief of losing my father to cancer as an infant. When I got my wish, I felt both shame and validation. And then shame again. But
